Swindon Green Party has discovered that an estimated 109 people a year are killed by human-made air pollution in Swindon.

The ‘Clean Air in Cities’ app, which draws on data from Defra and Public Health England, shows that on average, 6% of all deaths in Swindon in a year are attributable to human-made fine particulate matter – a higher average than across both the south-west and England more generally.

Data from Imperial College London also show that even Canal Walk, a pedestrianised road in Swindon town centre, has ‘significant air pollution’ and is currently breaking three World Health Organization (WHO) limits on air pollution: PM2.5, which can cause asthma, jeopardise lung functions, and promote cancer; PM10, which can cause wheezing, bronchitis, and reduce lung development; and nitrogen dioxide, which contributes to the development of asthma and other respiratory issues.

Green Parish Councillor Bradley Williams said:

“These statistics lay bare the horrifying impact that air pollution is having on the people of Swindon, causing long-term health problems and death. If even a pedestrianised street such as Canal Walk is breaking WHO limits on air pollution, how dangerous must it be to walk next to busy roads full of traffic?

“Swindon Borough Council needs to start taking air pollution and public health seriously and set out a detailed strategy for improving air quality to tackle this emergency.  

“We’re also calling on the council to endorse Ella’s Law, which would establish a right to clean air and bring air quality up to minimum WHO standards. The law is named after the late Ella Adoo Kissi Debrah, who was a nine-year-old child who became the first person in England to have air pollution named as a cause of death by a coroner.

“Swindon’s air pollution levels are similar to those in Lewisham, where Ella lived, on at least two measures – the council needs to take action right now to address this issue here in Swindon before more lives like Ella’s are unnecessarily lost.”